The Stanford collaborative R01 proposal is a response to the NHLBI RFA, "Molecular and Physical Characterization of the Vulnerable Plaque," and is submitted by a highly-integrated multi-disciplinary group which will use innovative vascular biology and imaging to gain new insights into the determinants of plaque vulnerability, and which plans to develop effective imaging technology to detect vulnerable plaque. In this project, "Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Vulnerable Plaque," we intend to develop new imaging methodologies that will provide ultra- high resolution images of the arterial plaque in vivo. These include motion-compensated 2D and 3D data acquisition using the diminishing variance algorithm as well as a new high-resolution intravascular imaging system that operates in real-time. We have a history of collaboration; institutional resources, cutting- edge technology in vascular biology and imaging; and investigators with established track records in fundamental research and technology transfer in IVUS, MR imaging, vascular biology, and vascular medicine. This proposal, will likely yield new insights into the mechanisms of plaque rupture, and new modalities for detecting vulnerable plaque.